"I Am Waiting" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919 - Present) was one of the preeminent poets of the Beat Generation. His poem "I Am Waiting", one of his most well-known, is a perfect example of the style that the beats tended to favor. The poem is delivered as if spoken all at once, a stream-of-consciousness that characterizes many beat works. Furthermore, the constant repetition of "I am waiting" makes the poem feel as if a rant. Ferlinghetti wants to see countless things happen in America, and in this way, he expresses these hopes for the future. Even though many comments are satirical and anti-establishment ("I am waiting / for a reconstructed Mayflower / to reach America / with its picture story and tv rights / sold in advance to the natives"), Ferlinghetti expresses his earnest desire for peace and happiness in the world. The political themes of the poem and the mythical references especially give this poem away as being from the beat movement. Ultimately, no matter how lyrical the poem is, Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a simple man with honest hopes and dreams that he manages to express in a pretty, funny, and uncomplicated way.